Outdoors: Local hunters enjoy success on the road

Local hunters have done very well in their travels this season. None is happier than rookie Jane Foley, who on her very first hunt of any kind, came home with a bear. On this Nova Scotia hunt, Auburn Sportsmen Club members Hunter Fran and Mark Goodwin also bagged bears.

The most successful moose hunter I know, Singletary Rod & Gun Club's Bob Kolofsky, took a small 6-point bull in Newfoundland, despite horrific conditions of fog, wind, rain and mist. Singletary member Steve Glaza meanwhile arrowed an enormous 320-class 6x6 bull elk in Colorado, where he overcame extreme cold, snow, and freezing conditions. With great stealth, he was able to get the bull to come within 20 yards, where his Matthews bow brought it down 50 yards from the point of impact. Perfect double-lung shots with an arrow often drop an animal faster than a rifle.

Acorns should help

Deer hunting is likely going to be much different than the last two years — probably mucht better. We've got acorns again. In some places, lots of them. Stands in the white oaks that were ghost towns last year will come into their own again as magnetic sources of great venison.

Anglers need not feel left out once the pheasant hunting season begins next Saturday. While I'll be out with my Brittany in quest of delicious, flushing ringnecks, 64,500 rainbow trout will have been allocated for distribution across five wildlife management districts across the state.

Fun times for trout

According to chief of hatcheries Dr. Ken Simmons, 2013 is the most productive year for fall trout that he's seen during his tenure with the division. Simmons and his staff deserve much credit for this extraordinary, vintage-year success. The trout are averaging an incredible 14 inches and 1 pound That's unheard of across most of America, and warrants angler appreciation throughout the commonwealth.

We have a state fisheries staff that is unsurpassed. Hatcheries in Belchertown, Montague, Sandwich and Sunderland are performing alchemy with fish eggs. Get your rods out, and to make sure you're fishing recently stocked waters, check MassWildlife's website at www.mass.gov/masswildlife.

New officers

The Worcester County League of Sportsmen, which does so much great work for our hunting, fishing and shooting traditions, elected their new officers. Ron Amidon of Otter River Sportsman's Club, president; Dave Morin of Worcester Rifle and Pistol, first vice president; Craig Cortis of Auburn Sportsman's Club, seconnd vice president; Jim Nishan of Auburn Sportsman's Club, recording secretary; John O'Leary of Leicester Rod & Gun, corresponding secretary; and L.A. Jones of Maspenock Rod & Gun, treasurer. From providing fishing programs for underprivileged city kids to teaching women and youngsters the fine points and joys of our sport, these exemplary sportsmen are helping insure that our outdoors remains great.

With an appetite

We generally don't get something for nothing. The porcupine was such an economic problem in the timber-producing areas of New England that fishers were reintroduced to lower their populations. To a great degree, they accomplished that goal, but fishers don't eat just porcupines.

Locally, we know they have a taste for house cats that are allowed to stray outside. But in northern Vermont this past weekend, I spoke with bird hunters who lamented the toll they take on roosting ruffed grouse.

"They'll climb into a roost tree at night and one by one kill every partridge in the tree. I saw five partridge all opened up and eaten below a single tree," alleged one disgusted Green Mountain hunter stopping in for lunch at the Barton General Store.

As for Vermont, moose permits for them are down along with their overall population. One insidious, contributing factor to their decline is a growing tick population that sucks their blood, weakening them during the winter. The increased incidence of ticks may well be a function of warmer winters, which don't bode well for many local species.

Duck stamps thrive

While we no longer have beautiful state wildlife stamps, thanks to money-saving digital ways of paying for stamp privileges, we still have the gorgeous federal duck stamps. Adam Grimm, an Ohio native who now lives in Burbank, S.D., is the winner of the 2013 Federal Duck Stamp Art Contest. Grimm previously won the contest in 2000-01.We'll be seeing his gorgeous oil painting of a canvasback on the 2014-15 Federal Duck Stamp, which will go on sale in late June 2014.

Far-reaching shutdown

In shutting down the United States government, the tea party has impacted many Americans, including even our local bird-banding/Lyme disease researchers stationed at the Auburn Sportsman's Club. We can't get needed bands or do anything with our data. I never thought bird banding research could be affected by politicians. What's next?

Success in South

I just got a message from ENT surgeon and renowned false albacore authority, Dr. Edward Caldwell, who left the Cape to fish North Carolina waters. He had an epic, muscle-straining day, catching 50 albies.